西伦敦维多利亚式别墅的焕新设计

'Apart from the outside walls, there's nothing in this house that's original,' says interior designer Polly Ashman of her Victorian terrace in Acton. What is now a bright and comfortable family home for Polly, her husband and their two young boys, was not too long ago an inhospitable shell. Built by the previous owners' grandfather, the house had remained largely unchanged since, and Polly had to work on the house before buying it to even get a mortgage approved.By Elizabeth MetcalfeIn the sitting room, walls in Edward Bulmer's ‘Dove’ provides a neutral backdrop for art and patterned textiles. The border on the curtain pulls together all of the textiles in room.The sofa is upholstered in ‘Tribal’ by Lewis & Wood, above which a painting by an unknown artist hangs, which they bought from Woolley & Wallis using vouchers given to them as a wedding gift. The rest of the space was designed around the colours in it.The textiles in the sitting room pick up on the hallway walls in Farrow & Ball's ‘Light Blue’.Opening up the doorways between the front-facing sitting room, the tv snug and the kitchen extension at the back of the house makes for an open, airy layout.

Polly approached the house with the same can-do attitude that led her to start her own design studio. Though she has never formally studied interior design, Polly had previous experience renovating and selling houses alongside her husband. ‘It’s been really helpful having this background. I know all of the ‘boring’ things, like how to read a structural plan and which walls can be moved,’ she explains.

Her aesthetic, however, is far less by the book. 'I never learned the rules so I don’t have any to follow', she says, but she does look to the likes of Nicola Harding, Tiffany Duggan and Anna Haines for inspiration. Though her style is very much rooted in the traditional English sensibility, for which she credits her upbringing in the countryside, there’s a contemporary edge to her spaces. She carefully mixes antiques with contemporary art, resulting in rooms that feel as if they have evolved over time.

Before she could begin work on the interiors, Polly had to completely 'annihilate' the contents of the house, going 'through it with a sledgehammer.’ She maintains that this was no bad thing, ‘it meant we could start with a blank canvas. That’s easier than working around existing features’. Where the bottom floor was previously a series of separate rooms, it is now largely open plan, with clearly delineated rooms: there's a formal sitting area, a TV snug and a large, extended kitchen at the back.

Working alongside Wilstons of Avebury, a small, family-run kitchen designer chosen for their ‘impeccable attention to detail’, Polly created a playful and energising kitchen. Crittal doors that open on the garden were added in, alongside pops of vivid colour that sing against a calm base of white and dark green. Perhaps most attention-grabbing of all are the bright pink dining chairs. ‘They’re plastic! And very practical,' Polly comments.

Sandwiched between the two spaces is a cosy den where the children play or watch TV in earshot of their parents. ‘I always find that middle room in Victorian houses really fascinating. Some people use it as a dining room, others a dump', says Polly. Wanting to keep the space as light as possible, she installed wall-to-wall windows to the hallway, which are mirrored in the bespoke joinery on the opposite wall.

Upstairs, there are no doors between the primary bedroom, the wardrobe and the bathroom. The space is open, serene and, for Polly, 'full of joy'. ‘I wanted to keep it really calm here, so the wall colour is the same throughout.’ In this setting, Edward Bulmer's ‘Clover’, is almost a neutral, and it acts as a canvas for the display of artwork and ceramics on the walls.

What might have been a third bedroom was transformed into a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. 'Wherever I can I will always try to make the master bathroom as big and light as possible' says Polly. ‘Even if that means borrowing a little space from a bedroom.’ In keeping with the light, airy feel of its neighbouring rooms, the bathroom is clad in large slabs of marble, and a huge mirror fills one of the walls.

The loft conversion on the top floor is dedicated to the children. The hope, Polly explains, is that 'when they’re teenagers they will want to hang out up there instead of lounging around downstairs'. The space has been cunningly configured to allow for two bedrooms, a play area and a generous shower room. Though keen to add wallpaper up here, Polly chose to do this on the landing instead, which features a wide green stripe from Cole & Son: 'I think they’d grow out of it so quickly, and there are so many incredible things you can do with paint'.

What was once a convoluted, neglected house is now a smart, calm, comfortable space tailored for a young family to grow. 'I hope that the boys will want to take some of the antiques and art with them when they’re older' she says, but for the meantime, they sit happily in their very comfortable home.

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In the sitting room, walls in Edward Bulmer's ‘Dove’ provides a neutral backdrop for art and patterned textiles. The border on the curtain pulls together all of the textiles in room.

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The sofa is upholstered in ‘Tribal’ by Lewis & Wood, above which a painting by an unknown artist hangs, which they bought from using vouchers given to them as a wedding gift. The rest of the space was designed around the colours in it.

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The textiles in the sitting room pick up on the hallway walls in Farrow & Ball's ‘Light Blue’.

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Opening up the doorways between the front-facing sitting room, the tv snug and the kitchen extension at the back of the house makes for an open, airy layout.

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In order to increase the light in the TV snug, Polly installed interior windows into the hallway.

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The joinery in the TV snug is bespoke, designed to both display objects and hide mess.

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The walls in the TV room are covered in ‘Wattle Blue’ wallpaper by Robert Kime.

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Polly extended the kitchen both outwards and to the side return of the house. The pink chairs add a pop of colour. The lampshade is by Rosi de Ruig and the painting is by Mary West.

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Designed alongside Wilstons of Avebury, the kitchen island is the focal point of the room. It's painted in ‘Studio Green’ by Farrow & Ball.

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The window seat and bar are painted in ‘India Yellow' by Farrow & Ball, add a pop of colour.

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Two ‘Club Wall Lights’ by Jim Lawrence illuminate Polly's collection of ceramic objects.

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In the main bedroom, a painting by Barbara Robjant hangs above a vintage writing desk.

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The walls of the main bedroom are painted in ‘Clover’ by Edward Bulmer, making for a light, neutral space.

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A walk-through wardrobe connects the main bedroom with the en-suite bathroom.

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The en-suite bathroom features marble chequerboard tiles from Mandarin Stone.

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A green stripe blind adds a burst of colour against the neutral walls and light marble.

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In her son's bedroom, Polly opted for a fun half-painted wall instead of wallpaper, with pattern introduced on the headboard and blind.